Thor hammers competition with $66M opening

Thor kicked off the summer movie season by smashing the competition at the box office with a $66 million opening weekend.

The 3-D action picture from Paramount, based on the Marvel comic, was by far the No. 1 movie, according to Sunday studio estimates.

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth stars as the arrogant god of thunder who’s sent down to Earth as punishment. It was directed by Kenneth Branagh, best known for making films based on Shakespeare plays such an epic “Hamlet,” and featured a supporting cast that included Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgard.
In second place was a holdover from last week, the car-racing sequel “Fast Five” from Universal Pictures. It made $32.5 million for a total of nearly $140 million in just 10 days. Read more

Russell Brand’s Movies Take Top Spots

Russell Brand beat himself at the box office this weekend, as “Hop,” an animated movie that features his voice, sold more tickets than a remake of the comedy “Arthur,” which also stars Mr. Brand. Read more

Weekend Box Office: ‘Wimpy Kid’ rules weekend with $24.4M opening

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules,” the second film in a series based on popular children’s novels, grossed $24.4 million in ticket sales, according to an estimate from distributor 20th Century Fox. That was a major blow to the much more expensive “Sucker Punch,” which cost Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures $82 million to produce but opened to a weak $19 million. Read more

‘Limitless’ conquers weekend with $19 million

Bradley Cooper proved he could open a movie all by himself, as Limitless won the weekend with $19 million, according to studio estimates. The $27 million action thriller, Cooper’s first true star vehicle, had been heavily promoted with commercials during the Super Bowl and some creative viral marketing, such as a YouTube clip in which a man seemingly hacks Times Square’s video screens. The PG-13 film, about a struggling writer whose life is radically upgraded after taking an experimental “smart pill,” earned a respectable “B+” grade from CinemaScore moviegoers. Read more

‘Unknown’ Schools The Box-Office Competition

Liam Neeson has a solid future as an action hero, but “I Am Number Four” stumbled in its attempt to build a new sci-fi young-adult franchise, according to box-office receipts.

“Unknown” took in an estimated $25.6 million over the four-day President’s Day weekend, making the Alfred Hitchcock-inspired Neeson thriller #1. Family-friendly CG-animated film “Gnomeo & Juliet,” in its second week of release, was just behind with $24.8 million, according to reports. “I Am Number Four” was a surprising third with a $22.6 million theatrical debut. Read more

‘Just Go With It’ Barely Beats ‘Never Say Never’ to Top Weekend With $31 Million

Last week, Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, stars of Sony’s new comedy Just Go With It, joked there was enough room at the box office for both them and teen icon Justin Bieber.

But the race turned out much closer than expected. According to weekend estimates, Go With It opened to an estimated $31 million from 3,548 theaters, while Paramount’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never far outpaced expectations in grossing an estimated $30.3 million from 3,105 locations, including 2,156 higher-priced 3D runs. Read more

‘The Roommate’ Beats ‘Sanctum’ to Top Super Bowl Weekend With $15.6 Million

James Cameron-produced ‘Sanctum’ opens at No. 2 with $9.2 million, while ‘No Strings Attached’ takes the third spot after surpassing the $50 million mark.

Sony/Screen Gems’ thriller The Roommate topped the weekend box office thanks to young females, grossing an estimated $15.6 million to easily best Universal’s Australian cave adventure-thriller Sanctum 3D. Read more

‘The Rite’ Possesses No. 1 Spot at Weekend Box Office With $15 Million

New Line/Warner Bros.’ Anthony Hopkins exorcism pic The Rite opened on the lower end of expectations, but still won the weekend box-office race with an estimated gross of $15 million from 2,985 locations. Read more

$20.3 Mil ‘No Strings Attached’ Debuts Atop Weekend Box Office

Paramount’s Natalie Portman/Ashton Kutcher R-rated romantic comedy No Strings Attached topped the weekend box office with a solid $20.3 million start from 3,018 theaters, while The King’s Speech neared a dazzling domestic cume of $60 million for a victorious Weinstein Co. Read more

‘True Grit’ Dethrones ‘Fockers’ to Win Weekend Box Office

Paramount and Skydance Prods.’ True Grit wrested the weekend box office crown from Universal’s Little Fockers for the first time, grossing an estimated $15 million from 3,124 theaters and upping its take to $110.4 million. Read more

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